Bet you didn't know that half the files on your computer have not been used since the day they were created. And the answer to getting rid of them efficiently can be found in your garbage can.

According to researchers from Johns Hopkins, you don't need some fancy computer file management tool. You just need some good, old-fashioned help from the waste management industry. Folks that work with garbage know how to sort through piles of trash and keep the good, discard the bad and reuse what they can.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins believe this is the model people should use when managing their computer. Computer owners should dispose, recover, recycle, reuse and reduce their files until they have minimal waste. Getting rid of this digital waste is not only liberating, it's good for your overstressed, overfilled computer, too. [arXiv via Physorg; Shutterstock/marema]

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